Helping Your Child Read At Home

Helping Your Child Read At Home Kim Amos RtI Lead Teacher Fourth Grade Teacher kim.amos@district196.org

What Research Says About Reading: The Big Five • Phonemic Awareness • Phonics • Fluency • Comprehension • Vocabulary

Variation In Amount of Independent Reading Anderson, Richard D., Wilson, P. T., Fielding, L.D. Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of School, Reading Research Quarterly, #23, pp. 285-303

Read Aloud To Your Child Goal: - Model good reading behaviors - Use expression and fluency - Involve the child - Attend to the meaning of the text

Reading Aloud With Younger Children • Always read the title and author’s name. • Look through the pictures in the book and talk about what’s happening. Attend to the details in pictures. • Point out one or two words and/or phrases that may be repeated in the story. • Ask child to predict what might happen next in the story. • Ask them to read a repeated word or phrase in the story while you draw their attention to it by pointing to the words. • Talk about the story when you are done.

Reading Aloud With Older Children • Have children predict based on the title of the story or chapter, what might happen in the story. • Read with expression stopping at punctuation. • Think aloud about what you are picturing or thinking in your head about the character, plot or theme of the story. • Stop occasionally and let the child predict what may happen next and tell why they think that. • If the child is able to read a part of the book allow them to do so.

Tips for Listening To Younger Children Read Goal: - To feel success through praise and reinforcement - Stay with books which your child can read most of the words. - Support independence when possible. How: Help them by asking questions at two important points that may occur during reading.

Stop At Difficulty • Give them wait time and encourage them to give it a try. • Check the picture • Look at the first letter of the word and think, what would make sense or sound right here. Have the child check beginning and ending sounds for confirmation. • If they still don’t know what to say “Could it be ___ or ___? (Make sure one alternative is the correct word).

After an error… • “ You said____. Does that make sense and sound right here? Does that look right. • Reread that and check to see if what you read makes sense, sounds right and looks right. • There was a tricky part. Can you find it?

Reading At Home For Older Children • Have a set time each night that your child reads. At least 30 min. • Ask questions about the book when they are done reading a chapter/book. • Let them choose books that they can read independently. • Have them read their favorite part aloud and listen for expression, phrasing and fluency.

Examples of Three Types of Questions to ask while reading Narrative Text Within the Text • Talk about what happened first in the story. • Then what happened? • What is happening now? • What happened at the end? • Beyond the Text • Why did the character do that? • How is the character feeling? Why do you think that? • What is changing for the characters? • What was the biggest change for the main character and why do you think that? • About the Text • What is the author setting up here? • What does the author want us to know? • Why did the author include this scene? • How does the author connect the ending with the rest of the story?

Books Everywhere: How do I help my child choose a book that is appropriate? • Five Finger Rule • Read the title and author. Are you familiar with them? • Check the size of the print and number of pages to see if you are comfortable with them. • Get book recommendations from friends, teachers, bookstores and book lists. • Read the description of the book on the back or on the jacket to see if your are interested in the subject or plot. • Read the first couple of pages to see if you can read the book like you talk. Faster if you are reading it to yourself.

Through Independently Reading Books of Child’s Choice: • Increase vocabulary • Build content knowledge that will be helpful in reading informational text • Increase fluency • Build reading stamina • Build knowledge of how texts are organized • Learn how to select appropriate text • Choose independent reading books according to interest rather than level (Fountas & PinnellBenchmark Assessment System)

Every book tells a story but not every book is a story…so try these. Graphic Novels Memoirs Nonfiction Poems Songs Comics Biographies Fairytales Magazines

Books, Books, Where to look… International Reading Association: Children’s and Teacher’s Choice Book List http:// www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices.html Leveled Book List http:// home.comcast.net/ Dakota County Public Library Catalogue http;//ipac.dakota.lib.mn.us/##focus http://boysread.com http://readinga-z.com Also search… Book lists [grade level] and summer reading list [grade level]

Reading at home…final thoughts… • Reading that is phrased and fluent is important, praise your child for “reading like we talk” • Work at getting your child hooked on reading.. Unplug electronic devices and pick up print. • Keep lots of books everywhere and take them with you wherever you go. • Let baby hold the book. • Help your child make their own books. • Start a children’s book club. • Talk to your children about what they are reading. • Subscribe to magazines • Take your children to the library… even your big kids. • Read all kinds of print including maps, travel brochures, how to books… DVD direction, recipes etc…

Helping Your Child Read At Home